He Jiuniang didn't think much of it, but she appreciated Prince Chen's kindness and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Prince Chen nodded and walked ahead.
In order to see He Jiuniang, the old emperor specially dismissed all the people around him.
Because He Jiuniang was called to come and treat him, he was half-lying on the bed, looking very weak.
In this situation, He Jiuniang didn't even need to take the emperor's pulse; she could tell at a glance that it was caused by excessive indulgence in sex. Moreover, the old emperor had other ailments as well. Calling her here today was truly the right decision.
"Greetings, Father Emperor."
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
He Jiuniang followed Prince Chen's example and bowed, performing the proper etiquette for men.
She thought the old emperor would be displeased, but to her surprise, he didn't mind at all. Instead, he looked at her with a smile and asked, "Are you the highly skilled female doctor?"
"Exactly."
He Jiuniang readily agreed without any modesty, and the old emperor then said, "Raise your head so I can see you."
He Jiuniang then raised her head generously. She saw amazement in the old emperor's eyes; he was definitely another person who was obsessed with good looks.
The old emperor was very satisfied. Before he could speak, He Jiuniang asked, "When Your Majesty invites someone to treat your illness, do you also want to see what the doctor looks like?"
Even Prince Chen was frightened by her. Such disrespect to the emperor was a grave offense. If she angered him, she would be punished with a beating at best, and at worst, lose her head.
But the old emperor was not angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "I have heard that Doctor He is not only highly skilled in medicine, but also has a handsome appearance. Now it seems that the fifth prince was not lying to me."
So that's how Prince Lin was exposed?
He Jiuniang glanced at the old emperor and thought he was really interesting, revealing that Prince Lin had been trying to curry favor with her.
Is it necessary?
Regardless of what He Jiuniang thought, the old emperor was very satisfied with her. Even without makeup, she was so beautiful. If she dressed up a little, how beautiful would she be?
Last night I thought Lao Wu was exaggerating a bit, but now it seems he's quite pragmatic!
He Jiuniang smiled and said, "I am still young and healthy, and my appearance is still acceptable. It's just that Your Majesty's health is really not good, which makes me very worried!"
The old emperor seemed surprised by He Jiuniang's audacity, immediately stating that he was unwell, and the regret on her face seemed to tell him directly that she was nearing the end of her life.
Prince Chen hurriedly said, "Father, please calm down. Madam Lu is straightforward and speaks frankly. Please forgive her."
He Jiuniang immediately replied, "Your Majesty, honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial! Your Majesty's face is pale and your eyes are cloudy. If it weren't for this humble woman coming to examine you today, I'm afraid Your Majesty wouldn't live to see the New Year!"
"presumptuous!"
The emperor slapped the bed, coughing in anger.
He wasn't actually sick; he just wanted to meet this female doctor and possess her. He never expected her to speak so recklessly, saying that he was going to die!
Even if he hasn't cultivated Taoism yet and can't live forever, he's frequently examined by imperial physicians, so living another ten or twenty years shouldn't be a problem. But this woman says he won't live to see the New Year!
“Father, Madam Lu’s medical skills are superb; she would never speak nonsense…”
Prince Chen spoke up for He Jiu Niang, but was interrupted by the old emperor: "Shut up! You unfilial son! Take her away!"
When Prince Chen heard that the old emperor had no intention of punishing anyone, he instantly understood that this was what He Jiuniang meant when she said she had a way to take her away, but she didn't intend to leave.
This time, Prince Chen was wrong. Trying to provoke people to escape things is not her style.
"Has Your Majesty been experiencing frequent dizziness, nausea, and vomiting lately? Have you been feeling weak and sometimes even have abdominal pain?"
She spoke first, and every word she uttered struck a chord with the old emperor.
He looked at He Jiuniang in surprise and said, "You didn't even take my pulse, how did you know?"
He Jiuniang said, "Some illnesses can be diagnosed without taking a pulse, because they are already written on the face."
The old emperor felt a sudden panic; he didn't even live to see the New Year.
How long until Chinese New Year?
It will only take about three or four months!
"But...but the imperial physician said..."
He was a little anxious, and He Jiuniang chimed in, "The imperial physician said that His Majesty is just overworked and needs more rest."
The old emperor was shocked; he hadn't expected her to know even this!
His medical records are generally not circulated outside the family unless they are obtained through layers of connections. However, she was brought in by the third brother on a whim. Even if the third brother is very capable, he doesn't have time to do these things.
Does this mean that she really figured it out?
That's really impressive!
"So what exactly is wrong with me?"
He Jiuniang shook her head and replied, "The Emperor is not ill."
After a pause, before the old emperor could get angry, he added, "It's poisoning."
This startled not only the old emperor but also Prince Chen beside him. Could it be the same kind of medicine that Lu Baichuan had put in the pills before? But that was given by He Jiuniang, who said it would dissipate in seven days, so it shouldn't be false. So where did the poison come from now?
"What kind of poison is this? Who dares to poison me!"
The old emperor's romantic thoughts vanished instantly; compared to women, he still wanted to live longer!
The thought of poison in his body made him want to summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to kill him. How could no one have detected such a serious poisoning?
He Jiuniang said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This was probably not done intentionally by anyone, but rather Your Majesty ate it willingly."
These words left the old emperor even more confused. He was tired of this endless rambling and finally said, "Stop beating around the bush and just tell me!"
He Jiuniang then smiled and said, "I've heard that His Majesty was previously obsessed with cultivating Taoism and took elixirs every day. Is that true?"
The old emperor paused for a moment, then thought of the same thing as Prince Chen: that it was the same poisonous pill Daoping had given him last time.
"Didn't I recover from the poisoning I suffered last time?"
He Jiuniang shook her head: "This poison has been in the Emperor's body for more than ten years, accumulating over time, not caused by a single poisoning."
More than ten years!
The old emperor panicked. He had been poisoned more than ten years ago, but no one had noticed!
"I wonder if Your Majesty has ever heard of the saying 'to commit suicide by swallowing gold'? The ingredients in the elixir are these heavy metals. Occasionally eating some is fine, but over time, those things cannot be digested and excreted from the body, so they remain in the body. Fortunately, Your Majesty has recently stopped taking the medicine, otherwise, we might not have even waited for this humble servant to come and treat Your Majesty before the country was under a different ruler."
Old Emperor: !!!
No one has ever dared to speak to him like that before! It's so offensive!
"Then, then I will now..."
The old emperor's voice trembled. He never imagined that the elixirs he had taken in previous years were poisonous, just like committing suicide by swallowing gold. What a foolish thing he had been doing all those years!
“If Your Majesty asks someone else to treat you, things could get complicated. But Prince Chen brought me into the palace to treat Your Majesty’s illness. As long as Your Majesty doesn’t make things difficult for me, then everything is fine.”
This is threatening the emperor.
Prince Chen didn't dare to interrupt. He noticed that his father seemed quite tolerant of He Jiu Niang, never getting too angry no matter what she said. It really did depend on her appearance.
Let her talk then. He's happy to have some peace and quiet. Anyway, his father still needs her to treat his illness, so she won't do anything to him.
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